When Joe Budden signed his Patreon deal in February 2021, Rory and Mal left the podcast a few months later, in May 2021.

The article discussing Joe Budden’s podcast network and its reported $20 million valuation was published in 2025.

Now, in 2026, current co-hosts Ish and Marc Lamont Hill have both raised concerns about compensation. Ish has mentioned several times that he feels underpaid.

During one discussion, Joe called Marc Lamont Hill a “capitalist.” Marc pushed back, explaining that he was pursuing his own content and projects so he could make more money from the work he creates and contributes to.

Marc also stated that he felt he was underpaid.

Joe then challenged both Ish and Marc to share their salaries on the podcast. Neither of them did.

That raises an interesting question: If the podcast network is reportedly worth $20 million, how much are the people contributing to the content actually being paid?